'Overwatch' Character Tracer Originally Had Laser Eyes Before She Was Considered Gay

Overwatch made social headlines earlier this week when canon comics based on the game revealed that main character Tracer was, in fact, gay. In light of the hero’s new controversy, we dug up a new Tracer factoid for you. Did you know she originally had laser beam eyes? That’s what Director Jeff Kaplan confirmed on the official forums last week.

When asked by a user about why near-finished content couldn’t be featured in the game, Kaplan spoke in detail about Overwatch’s development process.

“When we are prototyping and experimenting, we often use very rogue development tactics to create content quickly,” he said. “As developers, we are very used to rough edges. When we play our maps internally, they are just gray mesh with very basic lighting. When we test new features, they often lack user interface and require us to use console commands to execute.” He concluded that “during this type of testing or prototyping, the game is in no shape to be shown or played.”

Talking of Tracer in this unfinished state is when the post gets interesting. “We had no visual effects or attachment points on her guns, so she just shot laser beams out of her eyes.” That version obviously didn’t make it to the final game, it was just to illustrate a proof of concept for how the hero would work. As hero and map construction resumes in 2017, we expect a repeat of this rogue style that’s brought the game’s development team at Blizzard so much success.

As for Tracer’s gay dilemma, that news sent shockwaves through the industry in a matter of hours. Gamers remain divided over the lead character’s sexual orientation, and the buzz even received international scrutiny. In Russia, for example, the comic that debuted Tracer’s girlfriend was banned as “gay propaganda.” As for today’s headline, it seems there’s still a lot more to learn about the lady on Overwatch’s box.

Overwatch is available now on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

Would you like to see Overwatch’s Tracer get her laser eyes back? What’s your take on her sexual orientation? Tell us in the comments section!